I’m back! I know…it’s been a long time since my last post. Here’s what’s been happening.

First off, the question you are probably wondering about most…how’s my dad? Well, I’m happy to report that he’s doing just fine. Let me restate that. In my opinion, he’s doing amazingly well! He has aches and pains of old age, but he doesn’t let them slow him down or get him down. Friends, staff members and fellow residents from his assisted living community have come and gone for various reasons over the past few months. Instead of lamenting over what was, he seems thankful for what is.

For me, the past several months have been a whirlwind of job interviews, which all seemed to occur at once, and the reality that my time off was coming to a sudden end. I am officially back at work and thankful to be so. And, I am thankful for having had a mid-career break.

Are there things I wish I had done while I was off work? Absolutely, I have a list a mile long which includes everything from visiting Yosemite, baking my way through Dominique Ansel’s “The Secret Recipes” cookbook and finding an exercise program that I enjoy. Strike the “I enjoy” part and just say find an exercise program. But, instead of feeling sorry for what I didn’t get done while I was off work, I am going to take a cue from my dad and be thankful for what is.